Collaboration

I love the feeling of discovering something in reality that you’ve learned about in theory. During our Island Innovation to Lab in Palau, I got to experience that with respect to the benefits of collaboration.

On our first day touring the Island, we visited Capitol Building, home of the democratic leadership in Palau. As we tramped through the hallways and meeting rooms, the artists and designers amongst our group were fascinated by the symbolism of every emblem and artwork we came across. They eagerly asked questions to our guide that I wouldn’t have even thought to ask. In a team you know more about what you don’t know.

Again I was thankful for being surrounded by people different to me when we came to the room between the house of delegates and the senate. This time Steven our resident law student explained the different types of governmental systems, comparing the USA’s to Australia’s. This helped me understand a bit more how Palau’s system of government worked, being similar to Palau.

During our visit to the Palau Conservation Society (PCS) we got to hear more in depth about the ins and outs of community work that they did, thanks to Tanya, one of our development studies students, and her passion for community based action. In a meeting with one of the workers at PCS she pressed in to how different organisations worked together, as well as the community’s response to different efforts. As a result we all gathered a fuller picture of how PCS operates.

So there you go, amongst the many benefits of collaboration, one that really stood out to me was the way more and better questions get asked in a multidisciplinary team.